Chapter 59 – The Self-Pitying Stepsister in a Historical-Era Novel (Part 7)

Lately, all the strange happenings seemed to be somehow connected to that girl Wu Yu.

Because of this, Yang Dani began planning to find an opportunity to feel Wu Yu out—at the very least, she needed to figure out what was going on with her household registration.

So that evening, just as Wu Yu had finished dinner and was getting ready to wash up, she was blocked in her path by Yang Dani.

Wu Yu wasn't annoyed by this, though. After all, she didn't like getting into fights on a full stomach—it was bad for digestion.

Meanwhile, the other members of the Sun family were thinking: Wu Yu's appetite had grown noticeably larger lately. That girl was eating her fill at every meal, while the rest of them barely got enough to feel half-full. When would these miserable days end?

Yang Dani let out a tiny breath of relief when she saw that Wu Yu didn't get angry. She didn't know why she was so afraid of the girl—perhaps it was because of Wu Yu's sudden outburst last time, which had left a lingering fear in her heart.

So, she didn't dare ask directly and instead softened her tone to probe gently: "Girl… when did you transfer your household registration? Why didn't you say anything to me?"

Hah. Now Yang Dani was playing the soft mother card? She only called her "girl" when she was trying to manipulate something. Usually, it was just "you."

Too bad Wu Yu wasn't the same gullible girl who used to be moved by hollow words. Now, her heart was immune to such fake affection—in fact, she found it repulsive.

Things had come to this point, and Wu Yu didn't feel the need to beat around the bush any longer. Her plans in this household were complete—it was time to cut ties with this so-called "family."

"Don't say it like we're so close. Why would I tell you? Do you think you deserve to know? Let me give you a piece of advice—drop the act. You pretending to be a loving mother doesn't make me feel warm—it just makes me sick."

Yang Dani's face turned green, then white. She instantly regretted provoking this disaster of a girl. Now that Wu Yu had learned to talk back, she wasn't going to get a single advantage from her.

As for the other three members of the Sun family, they had long since slipped away to their rooms. They knew better than to get involved—no one could win against Wu Yu now, so they were smart enough to protect themselves.

As for Yang Dani? The others couldn't care less. They were tired of being dragged into her messes.

Now utterly furious, Yang Dani dropped all pretenses. She screamed, "So your wings have hardened, huh? Fine! Then get out right now—and don't ever come back!"

To Wu Yu, that sounded like music to her ears. This was exactly the excuse she needed to leave the Sun family for good.

She went out to the balcony and grabbed her belongings—not that she cared for the patched-up old clothes, but she wanted to double-check that nothing from her space had been left behind.

Just as she was about to walk out the Sun family's front door with her worn bundle, Yang Dani rushed forward to stop her. She yanked the bundle out of Wu Yu's hands and threw it violently to the ground, snarling, "These things aren't yours. You can't take them."

The commotion immediately attracted the attention of curious neighbors from upstairs and downstairs. A bunch of "aunties" and "uncles" gathered around to watch the drama unfold.

They arrived just in time to see Yang Dani toss the bundle and scold Wu Yu. When they saw the few pitiful, patched-up garments lying on the ground, many of them couldn't help but think: This Yang Dani really is too biased. She treats her eldest daughter so harshly. After all these years, she didn't even give her a single decent outfit. And now she's heartlessly kicking her out?

Seeing the crowd, Yang Dani quickly changed her expression and tone, speaking sweetly, "Oh, it's just a little quarrel between me and the child. Who would've thought this ungrateful girl would run off like this?"

But Wu Yu wasn't about to cover for her anymore. She lowered her head, sniffled, and said pitifully, "Aunties, uncles… My mom's throwing me out just because I don't want to go to the countryside…"

As she spoke, she even dabbed at her eyes with a few drops of water she'd snuck from her space, further reinforcing the image of a pitiful, bullied daughter.

Anyone with eyes could tell who was lying. Everyone had some idea of how Wu Yu usually lived—word got around.

Realizing that public opinion wasn't in her favor, Yang Dani snatched up the bundle of old clothes and slammed the door shut, ignoring the gawking crowd.

Seeing the drama end, the onlookers slowly dispersed and went home. No one bothered with the girl sobbing quietly in the corner.

After all, in this era, every household was struggling to get by—who had the time or resources to deal with someone else's family troubles?

Within a minute, the stairwell returned to silence.

Using her ability to scan the surroundings, Wu Yu confirmed that there were no more "audience members." She wiped the water off her face, glanced around one last time, and swiftly left the scene of the drama.

Of course it was all an act—for the sake of the neighbors. She wanted to make sure everyone saw her as the pitiful, wronged girl.

That way, if Yang Dani ever came to her workplace to stir up trouble, Wu Yu could use this incident as evidence.

Public opinion would be on Wu Yu's side, and she'd be able to safeguard her job in the city.

Because in this era, reputation was everything. A single blemish could cost you your position.

That's why Wu Yu had to keep up the appearance of being a poor, innocent stepdaughter in front of outsiders.

Thankfully, she had already cleaned and prepared her dorm room at the textile factory a few days earlier. Now that she was heading there, she could rest for a day tomorrow and officially start work the day after.

Back at the Sun household, once Yang Dani had calmed down, she deeply regretted what she had done. She shouldn't have kicked that wretched girl out in front of so many people.

But strangely, she couldn't even clearly remember what exactly had triggered her outburst—there was something unnatural about the whole thing.

In truth, Wu Yu had used her ability to stimulate Yang Dani's aggression, subtly guiding her to act out according to the "script."

Everything had gone according to plan. By the time Wu Yu arrived at the dorm, it was around seven in the evening.

Since it was already late, she didn't waste time and grabbed her toiletries, heading to the washroom at the end of the corridor.

As she walked past the other residents' curious stares, Wu Yu automatically tuned them out, minding her own business.

Upon seeing a young girl moving into the workers' dormitory—the very place Auntie Qian had been dreaming of taking for herself—many people began to murmur quietly. Clearly, Auntie Qian would be in for some trouble. A few even shook their heads sympathetically.